BELFAST CITY AIRPORT (BHD)

[dpconlan2011]

thanks for info

[mart901]

Airport in planning 'handcuff' plea - Northern Ireland, Local & National - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

[GAZMO]

With 5K short of the quota of 48K that would mean currently BHD could offer an additional 50 flights per week? Have I got that right?

Certainly would like to see new routes but Paris. BHD offers that service via EXE and overall the Paris market is flat! If this is he case is it another slap in the face to BE, first LGW then CDG

[Zag23]

Not exactly the most appealing way to get to Paris at the moment from BHD?

[GAZMO]

There is always the big orange plane up the road up to six weekly flights!

[Jamie2k9]

Falcon are offering package hoildays from BHD to PMI using EI flights on Tuesdays next summer competing with their service from BFS. Offered between 7 May-27 August.

[GAZMO]

Everytime I look at a newspaper, the web on TV EI are heavily promoting their LGW service. Even on this website!!!!!!

I know airlines advertise from time to time, but is this a case of an airline struggling on a route!!!!!

views welcome

[Hangar6]

EI LGW

No inside news on this ,


maybe they smell the blood of a competitor?

[True Blue]

Gazmo

Look at the number of extra seats vs number of additional pax and take a view. I know what conclusion I come to. Just don't know if it is one or both, my bet is both.

TB

[mart901]

One of the biggest criticisms of WW was lack of advertising and vague adverts like "europe from £xx". If EI are to succeed and I think to succeed will include wiping a competitor off the route then advertising is one of the best ways to do it. Little or no point nobody knowing they are there.

[GAZMO]

.......and which competitor will EI be wiping off!!!!!!!!!

[Zag23]

Is there any news on the new aircraft stands being built?

[BFS101]

Too be fair, EI have not really been terribly successful in the past, when in direct competition with other airlines, from Belfast. Even when entering new markets, again, unfortunately not very successful.

We shall wait and see in this instance. Can anyone confirm if EI have codeshare or interlining agreements on their LGW. BE still appear to have BA codeshare, and Virgin Holidays seem to put a lot of business their way, so not relying solely on point to point...

EI may get people to switch and try their service, as the advertising pays off, but that gives no guarantee those people will then stay loyal to EI. Many will look to price and frequency ultimately...

[EI-BUD]

EI have not really been terribly successful in the past, when in direct
competition with other airlines, from Belfast. Even when entering new markets,
again, unfortunately not very successful.

To be fair BFS101 any airlines in what were new markets were also 'not very successful' plenty of examples by airlines
Jet2 Prague
easyJet Gdansk, Berlin, Venice, Rome
Aer Lingus Budapest, Milan, Rome

It is argueable that a route like Nice or Geneva could work now that EI are much better know in the market, on the appropropriate, though it has to be said NI is limited to a core range of sun and ski routes beyond England...

EI-BUD

[BFS101]

Point taken, however Jet2 pioneered new routes that are still served from Belfast, BCN, albeit now by EZY, DBV, PSA etc; and similarly EZY tried and sustained a plethora of routes, also trying and failing on a number of routes too.

I thought that the Canaries were EI's success story from Belfast, clearly not, and now they serve 2 London routes and 3 obvious sun destinations. Not exactly putting it out there, and again I guess we will have to wait and see their success competing on the routes they now operate.

AGP, FAO and PMI should be safe bets, considering the vast numbers carried on these routes from NI and that EI are offering them solely from BHD giving consumers some choice. Hopefully these will turn out to be sustainable in the longer term. Just noting their track record on competing routes and trying new destinations. EI were the first to blink when both EI and EZY offered a winter schedule to BCN from Belfast, perhaps a very wise move in hindsight, but never the less, it was EI pulling flights after they went on sale...

[EI-BUD]

however Jet2 pioneered new routes that are still served from Belfast, BCN,
albeit now by EZY, DBV, PSA etc; and similarly EZY tried and sustained a
plethora of routes, also trying and failing on a number of routes too.

You make a very valid point here, it would seem that Jet2 have a good approach to low frequency routes that are seasonal like DBV, TOU and MJV as examples, arguably made possible by having 733 QCs available at BFS all year round that makes these possible.

BCN was Jet2 territory until they decided to enter some of EZYs holidays routes and EZY retailiated and entered VCE and BCN and I may be wrong in saying PSA for a season, this spelled an end to Jet2 on BCN.

Having said all that a lot of chat goes on that Belfast only keeps the sun routes and such a smal range, though truth is pre EasyJet there were no European routes except daily to AMS with KLM and a Paris route that was on and off... so a lot of increases have taken place and a lot of thanks to EZY...

[allanmac]

Slightly unusual movement at BHD today - Cityjet RJ85 to/from LCY - wonder why that was in?

[mart901]

Look back to when EI started those routes, they were a) ambitious and b) they were nowhere nearly as strong as they are now financially. EI have sort of wedged themselves in between BE and EZY and clearly they view the LON market as critical for year round profit. Indeed it has taken EZY a long time to develop its business and BFS is a long way off being as big as some of their other bases. Generally though EI have done well with LHR and seem to been making good inroads on LGW, summer sun will inevitably deliver for them and put BHD onto the map for flights further afield than the UK. I could envisage a ski route by EI this winter and hopefully more growth on euro routes next year. Christoph Mueller has indicated he wants to ramp up frequency to LHR.

[GAZMO]

Was it not in 2011 that EI upped the summer service to LHR to 4 daily only to reduce back to 3 ?
Yes summer routes to FAO and AGP will always do well and a weekly winter flight to Geneva will probably get a good return, but as someone had previously posted a long time ago their track record is not that good AMS, CDG, BUD, FCO, ALC, BCN.....

[Lord Lardy]

I think when this saga is put to bed by the EU you could see an expansion by Aer Lingus through Aer Arann against Flybe. Stobart's now have ownership of Aer Arann and sources tell me they are to get eight new aircraft soon to be announced after the March 6th deadline. You could see some of these deployed to city to go head to head against the financially struggling Flybe on some routes and possibly out of Dublin also. Might have been a mistake to attempt to get into bed with Ryanair.